????

I'm going to let you guess what is on those plates.

Broccoli? Correct!

Yam chips? Correct!

Chicken? Correct!

That other plate? I can't tell. And it has been too long. Oh well!

Giant Steak and Mushrooms

Cost: $10

Prep: Quick

BBQ is key. It means matt does more of the cooking.

Matt did the giant steaks (there was A LOT of leftovers) while I did the mushrooms (soy sauce and butter), potatoes, steamed broccoli, and fresh chives from our out-of-control herb garden!

The best part, however, was Charlie's Charlie Chaplin mustache.

Ahoy there!

Cost: $7

Prep: 45 minutes

Honestly, I don't have much to say about this. Charlie clings to my apron strings as I cook, and tonight, to appease him, I cooked in a pirate hat.

We used some cod that we had in the freezer, as well as the remains of a bag of chips. Charlie is cutting some new teeth and enjoys eating the fries frozen. I steamed the broccoli and boiled some corn on the cob which was so awful and tough I didn't eat it.

















Anyway, Charlie ate corn, and he also loves fish. Actually, he loves anything he can dip in, and there were 2 dips this time--ketchup and tartar--a little boy's dream.

Bbq Steak

Cost: ?

Prep: Quick

We skipped a meal today because of our brunch at the Fernwood Inn, so we made up for it by having a rich dinner.

We had a decent, thick cut of steak. Matt marinated and barbequed it. I made the side-dishes: our usual steamed brocoli and tiny new yellow potatoes. These were the highlight. Charlie loved eating the little potato "ball".

Matt often has trouble cooking my steak how I like it. This was just a little on the rare side, but still good.

BBQ Chicken Breast and Broccoli Alfredo

More of the Same

Cost: $12

Prep: 40 minutes

I am kind of embarrassed that I made this meal again. But, pork chops are often a good price and this is the way we know we like to eat them. Plus, the baby LOVES mushrooms. The red potatoes were a nice treat, too.

This pack of chops had 5 HUGE ones. We ate 2 that night, and Matt ate 2 for lunch the next day. There was one in the fridge that I am guessing will be wasted :(

Tortellini a la Veg

Prep: 20 minutes

Cost: $10

I tried to get Charlie to help me make dinner, but he did this instead.

So, I got out all the Costco sized ingredients: broccoli, asparagus, and tortellini.

Well, the tortellini wasn't from Costco; it was Compliments brand from Thrifty's. It tasted just like the Olivieri one, but the package is like 300 grams more. We still haven't decided if it was too much, as there is still some in the fridge and it has been 4 days. We MAYBE ate 1/2.

Anyway, I heated up a can of tomato sauce, steamed some of the veggies and boiled the pasta. I added the small bits of broccoli and sauce to the pasta.

We ate it with a large helping of parmesan and a side of asparagus...well, I ate a bit of asparagus and then it made me gag. Oh well!

Charlie was a fan. He has taken to signing and saying "more", and this meal got many "mores".

BBQ Pork Steak

Cost: $10

Prep: 15 minutes

Another night, another chance to barbeque. We had a giant package of marinated pork shoulder steaks, of which we only ate 1/2.

We kept it simple otherwise: sour cream noodles and steamed broccoli.

"Dinner" Steak

Cost: $5

Prep: 30 minutes

We broke out the barbeque for the first time today! Summer is approaching!

Charlie spent most of the prep time watching Dad out the back window and trying to climb onto the table. Yes, he can do that now. No, I do not like it.

I bought these very thin steaks, and Matt marinated them overnight in barbeque sauce before slapping them on the grill. The cut was not specified; it was simply labeled "dinner steak". Considering the price, it wasn't terrible, and a quick barbeque was a great choice.

I made the sides: baked potatoes and steamed broccoli, and when that was enough, I whipped up some more garlic toast (super easy: margarine, crushed garlic, oven, done).

Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, Lame Dinner, Charlie, Charlie, Charlie

Cost: $4

Prep: 10 minutes

We played too long at the park, and therefore were very pressed for time again.

So, to distract you from the lame dinner, look at all the pictures of Charlie!

Creamy Noods

Cost: $8

Prep: 20 minutes

The pork was simply marinated pork from Thrifty's, and the pasta was just Cattelli Smart. The broccoli was simply steamed before being mixed in.

The added flare to this meal was a new product, Philadelphia Cooking Cream. It was on sale for less than $3 at Walmart. I have to say though, I wasn't a fan. It was way too thick. Granted, there were no directions on the package, so I may have prepared it wrong.

Tiny Pork Meal

Cost: $7

Prep: 10 minutes

As this was a few days ago, I remember very little of this meal. I do remember thinking, "If I see steamed broccoli again, I am going to scream." Later, I thought, "If I eat any more steamed broccoli, I will puke." But it is so hard to make nutritionally valuable veggies that do not take a ton of time. I should research something new. Matt was also so bored with it, he tried chili sauce on some (thumbs up) and pork rub on the rest (thumbs down).

The side dish with an unremarkable pesto Sidekick. The meat were surprisingly decent think cut pork somethings from Walmart. I don't remember what the flavour was supposed to be, but it was quite spicy.

Baby Cracks Comeback

Cost: $7

Prep: who remembers?

Baby crack, aka corn on the cob, made a comeback tonight. Charlie didn't seem to notice that the pieces were smaller and not as good as before.

We paired the corn with a kind of hodge-podge meal. A little bit of pasta with a sour cream and parmesan sauce, honey garlic sausages (the "Naturals" brand, VERY VERY greasy), steamed broc, and toxin green coleslaw.

Trying to eat corn on the cob with a fork